The Incredible Journey of Mei
by ThePeacockFeather
Summary: Mei has wanted a Pokemon for as long as she could remember. Now she is finally given the chance to go on a journey and catch Pokemon of her own to be her partner. She encounters Old Team Plasma as well as New Team Plasma and must face the challenges of fighting off bad guys, reaching the Pokemon League, and having romantic feelings for her rival. Contains Sequelshipping!
1. A Big Green Hat

**The Incredible Journey of Mei**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Pokémon. Everything belongs to Gamefreak and those other companies that developed the AMAZING game.**

**Chapter One: A Big, Green Hat**

**Mei's POV**

Aspertia City is beautiful in the spring time. The trees turn a lovely green color, and flowers grow in the meadows along Route 19. It was in this time of year that I received my first Pokémon.

My name is Mei. Aspertia City is my home. Considering its small size, it is really more of a town than a city. It is small but not the smallest place in the region. We have a wonderful Pokémon Center and a gym that doesn't exactly have a gym leader. My best friend lives down the street from me, and I can walk to his house whenever I felt like it.

Perhaps I should tell you about my best friend. His name is Hugh. He has dark blue hair that looks similar to a Quilfish. Of course, I would never say that out loud to him – he'd be offended. His red eyes are narrower than most people's. He always wears a red and white jacket that could zip all the way up to his chin.

I've wanted a Pokémon starting from the moment my mom explained to me what they were. I've also been warned not to go in the Tall Grass without having my own Pokémon to protect me. That would explain why I have never gone out to Route 19; there are patches of Tall Grass blocking the way to Floccesy Town.

After 15 years of waiting and hoping and disappointment, I finally got a chance to become a trainer…

_3rd Person POV_

Mei pressed her ear to her front door and strained to hear the conversation going on behind it. Her mom had gone out for a walk on that nice spring day and now Mei could hear her talking to someone on the front porch. Nurse Joy? Hugh's mom? A long lost friend from high school? It didn't seem likely judging from their very strange topic of conversation.

"A Pokedex?" her mom's voice asked whoever she was talking to. "For my child?" Her voice was filled with disbelief and excitement.

_A Pokedex? I've heard of a Pokedex! _Mei squished her ear against the door, trying to hear the answer to the question Mom had just asked. All she heard was a small, muffled voice followed by statics. Mom must be talking on the Xtranciever.

There was the sound of footsteps and Mei quickly backed away from the door and ran into her room as Mom entered the house. Mei flopped down on her bed and picked up a book to make it seem that she was in her room like a good young lady, not eavesdropping on her mom's talk with someone.

"Mei!" Mom called from the living room. "I want to tell you something exciting! Mei!"

"Coming!" Mei shouted and slid off her bed. She ran around a corner and saw Mom looking very jittery and hyper. "Yeah, Mom?" Mei asked innocently.

Mom took a deep breath. "Do you know the famous Pokémon Professor called Professor Juniper?"

"Of, course, Mom!" Mei shrieked. "I watch her on the TV all the time and she has a blog on the Internet that I always read."

A smile brightened up Mom's face. "Well, she's actually an old friend of mine. I just got a call from her and-"

"YOU got a call from PROF. JUNIPER?!" Mei cried out, interrupting her mother. "That was Professor Juniper you were talking to a few seconds ago? Why didn't you let me talk to her?" Mei whined. She would have very much liked to meet a famous person…

"Let me finish." Mom wagged a finger at her daughter. "And what did I say about interrupting people?"

"Uhh…don't?" Mei guessed. They probably had the No-Interruption Talk when Mei was five and Mei had just about forgotten everything Mom had told her during that talk. The basic idea is to just not interrupt because it's rude. Mei apologized and said, "Please go on."

Mom smiled. "Now, do you know what a Pokedex is?"

Mei blinked. "Yes, Professor Juniper talks about it on her talk shows like it's the device that would save mankind."

Mom's grin grew bigger. Mei could tell she was proud that her daughter knew so much. "Do you want a Pokémon?"

Mei stared blankly at her. "What do you think, Mom? I ask for a Pokémon for my birthday and Christmas every year!"

"Now that that is over with," Mom winked at her. "Last question: Do you want a Pokedex?"

Something was happening, Mei knew it. Either Mom had just won the lottery, or she was planning on giving Mei a Pokedex. Mei thought it's going to be the second one. For what other reason would Mom be so excited for? "Yes, I want a Pokedex," Mei answered firmly.

"I knew you would!" Mom squealed.

"So why did you ask me?"

"Professor Juniper wanted to make absolutely sure that you're up for this amazing opportunity!" Mom replied cheerfully. "A girl called Bianca has come to Aspertia to give you a Pokémon, Mei! She's the Professor's assistant. Professor Juniper said to just simply look for a big, green hat!"

"A big, green hat?" Mei repeated. That won't be hard to find since people in Aspertia City tend to be kind of boring… "Okay, then!" She smiled and began to march out the door.

"Oh, wait! Mei!" Mom shouted after her. "I have to give you your Xtranciever and bag!" She caught her before she slammed the door. "Here." She gave her an Xtranciever and a new, large pink and white bag that had many compartments in it. Inside the bag was a cute pink visor with a Pokeball icon on it.

Mei stuffed it in her bag and put the visor on. "Bye, Mom!" she called as she stepped out the door.

The weather was slightly humid and Mei was thankful for the gentle breeze. She walked around her mailbox and came to the main road…err sidewalk. She glanced around for the big green hat Mom had told me to look for. She did not find it. Instead, she found a boy with the dark-blue, Quilfish shaped hair standing by his house, talking to his little sister. Hugh.

Hugh noticed Mei watching them. "Hi, Mei!" He and his little sister came over to Mei. "Where are you going?"

Mei smiled proudly and answered. "I'm going to get a Pokémon!"

"Really?!" he shouted a bit too loudly. The people around them gave the trio curious looks. Hugh ignored them. "From who?"

"A girl called Bianca," Mei said. "She is Professor Juniper's assistant. My mom told me to look for a big green hat!"

The little girl by Hugh's side was his sister. She was small and very sweet in Mei's opinion. Her Pokémon was once stolen by some evil people long ago, and Mei felt so sorry for her. The small child grasped the sleeve of Hugh's jacket and spoke in a timid, quiet voice. "Mei… If you get a Pokémon, please take good care of it, okay?"

Mei smiled and bent down to ruffle her brown hair that was in a Ponyta tail. "I'll treat my Pokémon as kindly as you treat yours, okay?"

The small girl nodded and shrank back behind Hugh.

Hugh gave Mei a nervous smile. "This may sound kind of pushy and sudden but can I come with you? I need to take care of something and I need someone with good instincts to help me!"

"I have good instincts?" Mei asked thoughtfully. "No one's ever told me that before… Thank you, Hugh!"

A warm blush crept along Hugh's face. "Uh… you're um…welcome." He did a good job of hiding his burning face and Mei did not notice his blush. Hugh turned to his little sister. "You go home, okay?"

"Okay!" the little girl said. "Bye, Big Brother! Bye Mei!" Then she turned around and skipped back to her house.

"Later, Kiddo!" Mei called after her.

"Alriiight!" Hugh said when his sister was gone. "Let's go look for Bianca and her big, green hat! I have my Pokemon with me so if anyone tries to hurt us, Tepig will protect us!" He took out a Pokeball and spun it like a basketball on his pointer finger. "I'll follow you!"

Mei nodded and they headed into town.

* * *

"Do you think Bianca's up there?" Mei asked Hugh. They stared up at the stairs that led to the lookout platform. They've been looking for quite a while now. "She might be enjoying the view."

"Yeah…Let's go!" Hugh shouted and he took off up the stairs.

Mei ran after him. They practically flew up the steps, taking three at a time. Hugh was the first to get to the top. He looked around and noticed a girl leaning on the railing of the observation deck. Mei made it to the top at that moment and saw her too.

"It's soooooooooo pretty!" the girl cooed dramatically. She wore an orange parka and a big green hat covered her short blonde hair. She looked out to the beautiful scenery that lay before her. Steep hills covered the landscape and large trees grew. A glittering lake was at the center of the landscape. The lake reflected a vast mountain range in the distance and the cerulean sky was dotted with little puffs of clouds that moved in the direction of the wind.

"Is that Bianca?" Hugh whispered to Mei, glancing at the blonde girl. "She looks a bit young to be Professor Juniper's assistant."

"She has the big, green hat…" Mei mused. She approached the girl and tapped her shoulder. "Excuse me, are you-"

"Aaaaaaah!" the girl shrieked. She jumped and spun around. Her glasses had fallen all the way down her nose. She quickly adjusted it and calmed herself. "Oh… hello there! Are you Mei?"

"I am." Mei nodded. "Are you Bianca?"

"Yes, I am Professor Juniper's assistant. It's so nice to meet you!" She held out her hand to Mei who shook it. "And who is that young man over there?" Bianca motioned to Hugh.

"That's my friend, Hugh," Mei answered. "He just came along to help me find you."

"He is most attractive," Bianca commented thoughtfully.

Mei almost choked on her own spit. _Bianca thinks Hugh is _attractive? That made things kind of awkward… Mei glanced at Hugh and wondered if he heard Bianca's remark. "So…" Mei said slowly. "May I have a Pokémon?"

"Oh! Yes!" Bianca reached into her jacket and pulled out a small glass cylinder. "The Pokémon you can choose from are right in here!" She pressed a little red button on the side of the cylinder and the container opened, spilling a cloud of steam. In the cylinder were three polished pokeballs.

Mei peered through the top of a pokeball and found a cute blue and white Pokémon staring back at her. It had freckles and large oval shaped eyes that glittered and shined black diamonds. A shell was attached to its stomach. Mei looked up at Bianca. "What Pokémon is this?" she asked pointing at the Pokémon.

"That's Oshawatt!" Bianca replied. "He's a water type. I once had an Oshawott but it's a Samurott now…" She pointed to the pokeball beside Oshawott's. "Tepig is in that pokeball. He's a fire type. My friend, Cheren, had a Tepig but it evolved into Emboar a long time ago. That last one is Snivy." Bianca pointed to the last Pokémon. She's a grass type. Two years ago, Cheren, I, and… _our other friend _set out on a journey. The other friend got Snivy. Choose wisely, Mei. Whichever one you pick will be your partner for life."

That's deep. Mei looked down at her three choices._I'm definitely not choosing Tepig since I know Hugh has one. If I pick Oshawott, I'll have a type advantage against Hugh…_Mei almost told Bianca to give her the Oshawott but then she noticed the Snivy staring at her. She turned her attention to it. Bianca had said that the Snivy was a _she_.

Snivy stared at Mei. Mei wasn't sure if she was imagining it but she thought she saw the Snivy's eyes watering. _Is Snivy crying? _The Pokémon looked at Mei in desperate hope. "Sssssniiii…"she hissed quietly. Mei's eyes began to water as she watched the poor little Pokémon. She turned to Bianca. "Please give me Snivy."

"Good choice! This Snivy is rare too! There aren't that many female Snivys." Bianca took the pokeball from the cylinder and handed it to Mei. "Would you like to give Snivy a nickname?"

Mei shook her head. "I'm not big on nicknames."

"That's fine too. Why don't you summon Snivy from the pokeball?" Bianca suggested. "I need to make sure you too get along."

Mei threw the pokeball high into the air. It spun and popped open in midair. There was a bright flash and the light soon materialized into the snake-like Pokémon. "Sniiiiiii!"

Mei squealed at how cute her Pokémon was. She bent down to Snivy's level and held out her hand. "Hi, Snivy! I'm Mei. We're going to be partners!"

Snivy had stopped crying and was staring at Mei's hand. Then she looked up at her new trainer. "Vee!" Snivy happily shook one of Mei's fingers with her short arms.

Mei scooped up her Snivy and held it in her arms. "We're going to have so much fun, Snivy!"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Bianca cried. She dug around in her parka and produced a red and gray device with the pokeball logo. "This is your Pokedex. Do you know how it works?"

Mei nodded eagerly. "I read about it on Professor Juniper's blog."

"Here you go, then!" Bianca gave her the Pokedex. "You can use that to check Snivy's stats too!"

Mei powered up her new toy and pointed it at Snivy.

**Snivy-the Grass Snake Pokémon**

**Gender-female Level- 5 Nature- bashful**

**Height: 2' 0" Weight: 17.9 lb.**

**Being exposed to bright sunlight can make its movement swifter. It uses vines more adeptly than its hands.**

Mei stared at the Pokedex in wonder. "It's even cooler than I imagined!" she squealed excitedly. "Okay, Snivy, we're going to battle Hugh and show him how strong you are." She put Snivy back down onto the ground and they marched proudly to Hugh who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"What took you so long?" he asked Mei when they got to him. Then he noticed Mei's new Pokedex dangling from her bag. "What is that?"

"It's my Pokedex! Bianca gave it to me." she told him. "It collects information on the Pokémon I encounter. Isn't that cool?"

Hugh was quiet for a moment. Then he ran to Bianca and started to _beg _for a Pokedex too.

Mei's jaw dropped all the way to the ground as she watched her friend desperately plea for a Pokedex. It was quite immature, she thought, but Hugh wasn't exactly the gentleman type either, so Mei decided not to scold him about harassing Bianca.

Bianca looked down at Hugh with pity. "Well… I do happen to have another Pokedex on me…" She dug around in her bag and took out a Pokedex similar to Mei's. "Here you go!" she said cheerfully.

Mei rolled her eyes when Hugh came back, very pleased with his new toy. "Let's battle now, Hugh!"

"Alriiiiiight!" Hugh took out Tepig's pokeball and prepared to throw it.

Mei gave Snivy a short pep talk before she had her first battle. "Snivy, be strong out there and we'll beat Hugh and his little Tepig. I know we just met but let's trust each other, okay? We're going to be partners from now on."

Snivy nodded but she didn't seem to be listening to Mei. The grass-type was glancing at Hugh every few seconds and twiddling her fingers (do Snivy have fingers?).

Mei frowned and waved her hand in front of Snivy's face. "Snivy? What are you staring at? Hello?"

Hugh walked up to Mei and Snivy, wondering what was going on. "Why's Snivy staring at me?" he asked Mei when Snivy was looking up at him with googly eyes.

"I don't know…" Mei scratched the top of her head. "Maybe she's just curious about who you are…"

Hugh bent down to Snivy's level and held his hand out to Snivy. "Hey, Snivy. I'm Hugh. Nice to meet you!"

Instead of sniffing Hugh's hand like a normal Pokémon, Snivy's face grew pink. She turned away from him and played with her tail nervously. "Sssssss… sni…." she cooed bashfully.

Mei's eye twitched. "Snivy is… blushing!"

"Isn't that her nature? Bashful?" Hugh asked.

Mei shook her head. "Yes, but she wasn't _this _shy when I met her. She was actually quite eager. But now…" She glanced at Snivy who was still shying away from Hugh and blushing redder. "I think she likes you!"

Hugh almost stumbled back. "W-what?!" He looked at the bashful Snivy. "I hope you don't mean… like-like…"

"I _do _mean like-like…" Mei answered.

Snivy had somehow mustered up the courage to stop shying away and actually look Hugh in the eye for once. "Sniiiiii!" she purred and tugged on the male trainer's shoes playfully. "Viiiiii!"

Hugh slowly stepped away from Snivy. "I'm not going to date a Pokémon!"

Snivy, realizing that she had been rejected, began to sob. Her bottom lip quivered and tears poured from her large amber colored eyes. "Snnnniiiiii!" she cried.

"Aaaaw!" Mei picked up Snivy and cradled the Pokémon in her arms. "Look what you've done!" She shot Hugh a glare and went back to trying to calm Snivy down. "Don't cry, little Snivy… It'll be okay…I promise… shhhhh."

Snivy cried harder, practically brawling her eyes out in agony. "Sss-sss- viiii…" She rubbed her eyes with her hands and buried her face in Mei's chest. "V-viiiiiiii!"

"You should apologize to her, Hugh," Mei suggested. She held Snivy out to Hugh. "Go on, say you're sorry."

Hugh looked down at Snivy and almost felt guilty for rejecting the Pokémon…_almost, _but not quite… He sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm sorry that I was hateful…" he apologized to Snivy.

Snivy didn't seem to be satisfied with the apology and still wouldn't stop crying.

"Try again," Mei ordered Hugh firmly. She shoved Snivy in Hugh's face.

Snivy looked up at Hugh with Lilipup eyes and sniffled slightly. "Sniiiiiiiii…"

Hugh sighed in annoyance and tried again, attempting to sound more sincere. "Look, Snivy… I'm a person, you're a Pokémon. You should go look for one of your own _kind _to be with. And I'm sorry that you like me and I don't like you back. We can be just friends if you want…" He held his hand out to Snivy invitingly.

Snivy suddenly wiggled out of Mei's hold and landed on Hugh's hand. Before the male trainer could react, Snivy had climbed up his arm and made herself comfortable on his shoulder. "Sni! Vy!" Snivy cuddled into Hugh's neck and sighed. "Ssssss…"

Hugh jumped, knocking Snivy off balance. He quickly shoved the Pokémon away in disgust. "I take it back; I don't want to be friends! Leave me ALONE!"

"Don't shout at Snivy!" Mei scooped up Snivy who had fallen off of Hugh's shoulder and landed face down on the ground. Mei shot Hugh a venomous look. "Snivy is just a little one. She doesn't know that she is a Pokémon and that you're not! And besides, I think you should be flattered that a Pokémon as cute as Snivy happens to be in love with you."

Hugh stared at Mei like she just fell out of the sky. "I should be _flattered?! _What are you saying?" He didn't wait for Mei to answer before stomping away toward the Route 19 Gate, probably to avoid being embarrassed further.

"Humph! Nice attitude," Mei snorted as she watched Hugh disappear into the Route 19 Gate. She looked down at Snivy. "It's okay, little guy. You'll find someone else. There's plenty of Pokémon for us to see once we get out to Route 19. I promise!"

"Eh-hem…"

Mei turned around and saw that Bianca was still standing there. She must have watched the big Snivy-in-love-with-Hugh phenomenon.

"That was interesting," Bianca concluded. "I must tell Professor Juniper as soon as possible. But first…" She motioned for Mei to follow her. "I have to show you the Pokémon Center and Poke-Mart. Come with me."

Mei shrugged and followed Bianca back into town.

**A/N: How is this? Good? Bad? Normal? Annoying? Entertaining? Horrible? Brilliant? Tell me your thoughts, people! I highly appreciate it if you review. It gives me motivation. Negative comments are fine, just don't be mean. Positive comments are always welcome too, of course! Bye now!**

**~ThePeacockFeather**


	2. The Former Champion

**Chapter Two: The Former Champion**

Mei followed Bianca through the Pokémon Center. She listened as Bianca told her about the PC storage system, Nurse Joy, and the Poke-mart.

"This is the Poke-mart," Bianca was saying as they approached the counter of the mini market. "You can buy healing items and pokeballs and other useful things. I will now show you how to catch a wild Pokémon. Follow me." The blonde girl headed to the automatic doors of the building.

Mei quickly caught up with her guide. "I already know how to catch a Pokémon. My mom taught me how to do that."

Bianca thought for a minute. "I guess I'll give you these then…" She reached into her bag and pulled out five empty pokeballs. "Here you go!" she said happily, handing the polished balls to Mei.

Mei gave a nod of thanks before putting the pokeballs in her bag.

"Now let me see…" Bianca said thoughtfully. "Have I forgotten anything?" She ran through her mind all the things she was supposed to do for new trainers. When she couldn't think of anything she left out, Bianca relaxed. "I'll just escort you out of here and then you'll be free to go to Route 19!"

Mei and Bianca headed for the exit and the automatic doors flew open for them. Outside, Mei was about to head to Route 19 but a familiar voice called to her. "Wait! Mei!"

Mei turned around to see her mom and Hugh's little sister running down the street toward her.

Mei's Mom finally caught up to her daughter along with Hugh's sister. "I wanted to give you these before you leave, Honey," Mei's mom said. She handed her a pair of pink and red running shoes. "These are for you. You can travel a lot faster in them."

Mei took the shoes with gratitude. _These should help me catch up with Hugh! _She thought, wondering how far ahead of her Hugh probably was right now. "Thanks, Mom," she said and carefully put them on her small feet.

Hugh's little sister hesitantly stepped out from behind Mei's mom. "This is for you too…" she said quietly before handing Mei two small plastic boxes.

At first Mei wasn't sure what they were. But Bianca explained them to her. "Those are Town Maps. They come in handy when you're lost."

"Then why is there two of them?" Mei asked, staring down at the extra Town Map.

"One of them is for my big brother…" Hugh's sister(Her name is just going to be Anna because it's easier to type than "Hugh's little sister") supplied. "I was hoping… that you'd give that extra one to him… please?"

Mei smiled at the little girl. "I'll give the other Map to your brother, don't worry." She thought about telling Anna and Mom about her Snivy being in love with Hugh but decided that she wasn't going to be _that_ cruel toward Hugh just because he was mean to Snivy.

"Have a safe journey, Mei. Make sure to call me on the Xtranciever sometimes!" Mom reminded her.

"I know, Mom," Mei replied and hugged her mom before heading toward the Route 19 Gate.

* * *

"Halt!" the Gate Keeper shouted.

Mei jumped in surprise. "What? Who? Me?" she pointed to herself and stared at the Gate man. "What did I do?" This was the gate that led to Route 19, wasn't it? Was she not supposed to go through it?

The Gate man leaned over his counter top and studied Mei. "I haven't seen you before. Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Uh… Mei?" Mei said hesitantly. "I'm a trainer. I'm also leaving Aspertia City for the first time so if you'll excuse me…" She proceeded to go around the Gate man and get to the next route as soon as possible.

"Stop!" The Gate man quickly ran around his chair to get out from behind his counter. Then he flung himself in front of the exit that led to the route, blocking Mei's way. "Don't you know the rules of passing through gates?" he asked hysterically.

Mei blinked in confusion. "The rules of what? You have rules for walking through a gate?"

"Yes! Now, show me some identification!" he demanded.

Mei groaned and pulled out her trainer's card that had her name, picture, and number of badges on it. Mei felt slightly embarrassed to have called herself a trainer and not have any gym badges yet.

The Gate man took the card and held it up to the light to make sure it was real. Then he grunted with satisfaction and gave it back to its owner. "I need to make sure you have a Pokémon now."

Mei took Snivy's pokeball from her bag and allowed the Pokémon to come out. The grass type still looked a bit depressed and solitary after what happened between her and Hugh. "Sniiiii…"

The Gate man nodded at Snivy and looked at Mei. "You may pass," he said. He went back to his desk and pulled out a bottle of purple liquid. "This is for you." He tossed the bottle to Mei. "I give a potion to every rookie trainer that comes through here. Come to think of it, I just gave one to a blue haired trainer who passed by a few minutes ago…"

Mei felt a sudden competitive urge to move faster and catch up with Hugh. She quickly thanked the Gate Keeper and hurried to the other side of the gate.

Once she was back outside, Mei picked up Snivy. "Let's have your first battle out here, okay, Snivy?" She walked toward the large patch of Tall Grass and set Snivy down.

The Tall Grass wasn't called Tall Grass for nothing. It reached all the way up to Mei's thighs and tickled her legs when she walked in it. Snivy followed closely behind her trainer as Mei looked for wild Pokémon.

After 20 minutes of walking along Route 19, Mei was still full of energy. She still hadn't found a single wild Pokémon yet though. As she approached the last patch of Tall Grass that was in her path to Flocessy Town, she began to relax and feel a bit calmer.

Suddenly, a purple cat like Pokémon leapt out from the grass and almost landed on Mei - luckily, she'd managed to back up in time. "Puuuuurrrrr," it made purring noises but the look on its face wasn't exactly friendly.

Mei whipped out her Pokedex and pointed it to the wild Pokémon.

**Purrloin- the Devious Pokémon**

**Gender- female Level- 3 Nature- Bold**

**Height- 1' 4" Weight- 22.3 lb.**

**Their cute act is a ruse. They trick people and steal their valuables just to see the looks on their faces.**

Purrloin hissed at Mei and lunged at the female trainer with her claws unsheathed. Mei quickly stepped aside. "Snivy! Tackle the Purrloin!" she commanded her Pokémon.

Snivy moved with amazing speed, being the fast Pokémon she was meant to be, and slammed into Purrloin, knocking the dark type Pokémon away from Mei..

The Purrloin got back up but seemed a bit dazed. She quickly shook it off and proceeded to using Scratch on Snivy. But the grass type starter was far faster than Purrloin. Snivy swiftly jumped out of the way at the last second.

"Now use Leer!" Mei called to Snivy.

Snivy lowered Purrloin's stats by glaring at it in a hateful way. Mei could see the defense bar dropping on the screen of her Pokedex.

Purrloin cowered a bit but quickly recovered and tried to use Scratch again.

Snivy jumped into the air to avoid Scratch but Purrloin followed her. "Sniiiii!" Snivy cried with pain when the Purrloin savagely clawed her in the arm. The two Pokémon landed back on the ground and the Purrloin smirked cockily at Snivy.

The grass type starter narrowed her eyes at her opponent.

"Snivy, are you okay?" Mei asked her Pokémon. Snivy gave a determined "Vee!" in response. Mei relaxed when she saw that Snivy was still in shape to fight. "Tackle!" she commanded.

Snivy charged the Purrloin. The dark type countered the Tackle with Scratch. Purrloin lashed out at Snivy but Mei's Pokémon quickly ducked down, avoiding the attack. Then Snivy quickly slammed her tail into Purrloin's face.

Purrloin hissed in outrage as she backed away, clutching her snout which was red from being hit by Snivy's tale.

"Tackle, again!" Mei told Snivy.

Snivy tried Tackle again and rammed Purrloin in the stomach with so much force that the Devious Pokémon flew through the air. Then the dark type landed in the grass with a loud thud.

Mei carefully approached the Purrloin and found that the Pokémon has fainted. "We won!" she told Snivy happily.

"Sni!" Snivy said proudly with her nose held high. "Sni-vy! Ssssss…"

Mei picked up her Pokémon and hugged her tightly. "You just won your first battle, Snivy! I'm so proud of you!"

"Sniiiiiiiii!" Snivy cried.

"That was a fine battle!"

Mei and Snivy stopped celebrating. "Who was that?" Mei asked curiously.

"Sni?" Snivy inquired.

"Up here!" the voice called out to Mei again.

Mei frowned and looked up at the cliff that stood at the edge of the route. The sun was in her eyes but she could see the silhouette of a man wearing a poncho. "Um... Who are you?"

The man suddenly leapt off the cliff toward the female trainer.

_Arceus! Is he committing suicide?! _But as the dust cleared dramatically, Mei saw that the man was perfectly fine. _How did he do that? _Mei wondered._Come to think of it, he looks familiar too…_

"Greetings, trainer!" the man said cheerfully. He had a jolly voice like Santa. "I am Alder," he introduced himself.

Mei remembered now. Alder was the name of the Unova League Champion a few years ago. Then he retired giving the title to a dragon trainer from Opelucid City. He definitely looked like he did back when he was the Champion. His orange-red hair was in a puffy Ponyta tail and he wore a beige and orange poncho with a string of Pokeballs on his shoulders.

"How may I help you, Mr. Alder?" Mei asked politely. She felt that she should be more sincere when in the presence of a trainer that was a Champion.

Alder studied Mei closely. "Your Snivy looks like a fine Pokémon. However, you aren't quite the seasoned trainer yet. I run a trainer's school in Flocessy Town up ahead. I'll train you there. Follow me!" And with that, he headed toward Flocessy Town which was only a few minutes away now. Mei returned Snivy to her pokeball and hurried after Alder who, surprisingly, could move very fast.

Upon entering Flocessy Town, Mei saw Alder waiting for her beside the Pokémon Center.

"You can go to the Pokémon Center first if you'd like and I'll be waiting for you at my house which is north from here," Alder told Mei.

Mei watched the former champion walk away and decided to heal Snivy to full health before going to find Alder again for their training. She entered the Pokémon Center and was greeted by none other than the famous Nurse Joy who has a twin sister in every single town of the region. Nurse Joy took Snivy's pokeball and placed it on a simple hexagon shaped counter. The screen beside the healing device lit up, signaling that Snivy was restored to full health.

Mei thanked the nurse and took Snivy's pokeball.

"Come back any time!" Nurse Joy called as Mei ran out of the Pokémon Center and through the automatic doors.

_Now to find Alder…_ Mei thought. She began to head north like the former champion had told her.

Flocessy Town was not a crowded place. It had a fair population and was overall a quiet town. The houses were made out of stone and sand and cement with orange roofs. A large empty piece of land at the center of the town looked like it would be having construction soon. There was also a old tower surrounded by beds of colorful flowers.

Mei continued to walk north until she saw Alder again. He stood at the gateway of a cozy wooden house - the design definitely suited his personality, from what Mei had observed so far. Pokeballs were painted around the doorway and a blue sign with the Pokémon logo stood above the entrance. In front of the house was a small area of land covered it dirt. The outline of a Pokémon battlefield was hastily drawn in the earth.

"There you are!" Alder called to Mei when he saw the female trainer approach. "Let's begin your training… Now!"

"Actually, Mr. Alder," Mei objected, remembering something very important. "I need to find my friend, Hugh. I'm supposed to give this Town Map to him." She held up the little blue and yellow plastic square. "He'll get lost if I don't get this to him soon. Have you seen him, sir?"

Alder rubbed his chin. "Come to think of it, I did saw a boy with a Tepig pass by not long ago. I had offered to train him but he refused. Is he your friend?" Mei nodded.

"Well…" Alder mused. "I suppose I can let you go find him first. He was heading to Flocessy Ranch." The former champion pointed east. "Route 20 is that way. You'll get to the ranch if you follow that path."

Mei bowed at Alder. "Thank you, Mr. Alder! I'll be back in a little bit!" She took Snivy's pokeball out of her bag and let the grass-type Pokémon out. "Guess what, Snivy! You're going to see Hugh again! Maybe this time, if you'll actually battle him, he'll see how great of a Pokémon you are! C'mon!"

Snivy's face lit up at Hugh's name. "Sni!" she said confidently. The grass type starter eagerly followed her trainer into Route 20.

**A/N: Yay! Second chapter is finished! Review! Review! Review! Reviews give me motivation, you guys! So if you want the next chapter faster, give me some feedback! Thank you for reading all the way to the end and next time… Flocessy Ranch! Also thanks to Coralsky for beta reading this story!**

**~ThePeacockFeather**


	3. A Rival Battle

**A/N: Thanks to Coralsky for being my awesome beta reader!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything although I really want to…**

Chapter Three: A Rival Battle

As Mei and Snivy entered Route 20, they heard a shout. "Stop right there!" It came from a young boy wearing an orange baseball cap. He seemed to be addressing the pair.

Confused, Mei halted in her tracks. "Huh?" She looked at the boy who had called out to her.

The boy eagerly walked up to her and shoved a pokeball in her face. "Let's have a Pokémon battle! Go Patrat!" A small Pokémon with weird red and orange eyes popped out from the pokeball. "Pat!" It gave Snivy a taunting gesture.

Snivy gritted her teeth at the Patrat who was making faces at her. "Sni!" She jumped into a battle stance and glanced at Mei for an order. "Ssssss…"

Mei's eyes widened. "You want to have your first battle with a trained Pokémon, Snivy?" Mei felt a swell of joy. "Oh, Snivy, I'm so happy you're opening up to the world of battling! Let's win some prize money, and then I'll use it to buy you some Pokémon treats!"

The talk of Pokémon treats gave Snivy even more motivation. "Viiiiii!" She lowered her head, ready to attack.

"Snivy! Let's begin with Tackle!" Mei shouted to Snivy.

Snivy obeyed with complete confidence. She charged the enemy Patrat.

"Patrat, use Tackle too!" the little boy told his Pokémon.

The two Pokémon rammed into each other with their Tackle attacks and were bounced back from the impact.

"Tackle again!" the little boy ordered.

"Dodge it!" Mei shouted.

Snivy waited until the last second to jump out of the way and the Patrat ran into a tree. Snivy smirked at the normal type.

Mei smiled. "Good, now tackle it while it's still dazed!"

The grass type starter gladly attacked the Patrat while it was dizzy from running into the tree.

Patrat flew through the air from the force of Snivy's Tackle. It landed in the grass which cushioned its landing, otherwise it would have already fainted. Patrat very slowly got up on its feet.

"Finish the Patrat!" Mei commanded. "Tackle, again!"

Snivy charged her opponent one more time, determined to win the battle after this attack.

"Aah! Patrat! Dodge it!" the boy shouted with panic.

Patrat barely mustered the strength to jump up and away from Snivy. The normal Pokémon and its trainer were both relieved for a second - when suddenly a long slender vine grabbed Patrat by its tail. "Raaat?" Patrat cried in surprise.

"W-what's happening?" the younger trainer asked, panicking again.

Two long vines had sprouted from around Snivy's neck and were quickly wrapping around Patrat.

"Is… is that _Vine Whip_?" Mei asked in wonder.

"Sni-Vy!" Snivy cried before using her vines to throw the opponent to the ground.

The Patrat landed on hard ground and kicked up dust everywhere. When the dust particles blew away, it revealed Snivy proudly standing beside her fainted opponent.

"Snivy, you won!" Mei said happily. She picked up her Pokémon and spun her around. "Now we get prize money!" Mei sang.

Mei's opponent was kneeling over his fainted Pokémon with concern. "Patrat! Are you okay?" He picked up the Patrat. "Somebody help my Pokémon!"

Mei knelt down next to him and looked over Patrat. "Your Pokémon's fine, it just needs to rest for a few hours at the Pokémon Center in Flocessy Town." She pointed toward the town where she had just come from.

The boy sighed with relief. He got up and handed Mei some money. "Here's your prize money for beating me. You're a really good trainer to tell me where I can heal Patrat. I've got to get him to the Pokémon Center now!" And with that, he ran down the road and into the town.

After he was gone, Mei counted the money he had given her and found that she had won 500 Pokedollars. "C'mon, Snivy," she told her Pokémon. "I'll bet there are more trainers up ahead. Let's go beat them all!"

"Sni! Sni!" Snivy agreed.

* * *

Mei collapsed onto the ground beside the entrance to Flocessy Ranch. She panted as she reached for a Potion she had found on the route earlier. "Come here, Snivy. This should make you feel better," she reassured her exhausted Pokemon who had just gone through two more battles since the first.

Snivy perked up as Mei sprayed the Potion on her fur. "Sni! Viiii!" she cried out with energy. Mei got up from the ground and shook some dust off of herself. "Almost there…" she panted, walking toward the entrance of the ranch.

"Sniiiiii!" Snivy suddenly gasped.

"Huh? Snivy, what's wron-" Mei started and was interrupted when Snivy ran past her and into the farm. "Ack! Snivy! Come back here!" She ran frantically after her Pokémon. When Mei managed to catch up with her fast Snivy, she saw what had made Snivy so giddy and happy.

Hugh and his Tepig were looking around for wild Pokémon in the Tall Grass.

Snivy's eyes turned sparkly and big as she watched the male trainer walk around with his Tepig. "Sni!" Snivy couldn't take it anymore. She jumped up and ran to Hugh at top speed.

Hugh and his Tepig, who had not noticed Mei and her Pokémon yet, were minding their own business and completely unaware of Snivy.

Mei tried to warn him. "Hugh! Watch out for Sni-"

Too late.

Snivy had thrown herself onto Hugh's head and held on like a lifeline. "Sniiii…" she cooed and patted his hair.

"Aaaaah!" Hugh fell to the ground from shock and was desperately trying to pry Snivy off of his head. "Mei!" he shouted in outrage. "Get your Pokémon off of me!"

"I'm coming, Snivy!" Mei called. She ran to her friend and pulled on Snivy's tail, trying to get her away from Hugh. "Snivy! Let go!"

Tepig just stood there with a puzzled look on his face. He tilted his head to one side in confusion. "Tep?"

Finally, Snivy let go of Hugh's head after being tickled by Mei. The female trainer kept a tight hold on Snivy to prevent her from attacking Hugh again. "Hugh, are you okay?" she took her friend's hand and helped him up.

Hugh's first thought when Mei grabbed his hand was _Must hide my face! Must hide my face! _He could already feel the blood rushing to his cheeks, not just from being tackled to the ground by Snivy, but from having the girl he liked hold his hand.

There was a part of Hugh that knew he liked Mei as more than just a friend but he didn't want to believe it. Hugh was smart enough to know that telling Mei about this would not be a good idea. What if she didn't feel the same way? Not only would that break Hugh's heart, but it would also destroy any chance of them still being friends. Would it not be better if he just kept this to himself? _What am I going to do?_

"Hugh…" Mei waved her hand in front of her friend's face. "Hello?"

Hugh snapped out of his thoughts and quickly pulled his hand away from Mei's. Hugh knew his face was probably redder than a Darumaka's fur. He attempted to hide his burning face in the collar of his jacket. "I'm fine," he told Mei nervously.

"I'm so sorry about Snivy," Mei apologized. "She's only a little kid, Hugh. You'll have to forgive her behavior. Please?" Her large blue eyes pleaded Hugh to not shout at Snivy or run away like he did last time.

Hugh sighed, "Okay, I forgive you and your psychotic Snivy."

Mei broke into a wide grin. "Thank you, Hugh! Thank you so much for putting up with Snivy and me! I know you're still a big softy underneath!" She threw her arms around him in a hug.

Hugh managed not to stumble back. He looked at Mei for a second before hesitantly returning the hug. They stayed like that for a while and Hugh was beginning to enjoy it until Snivy decided to interrupt their moment.

Snivy had been trying to figure out what the word _psychotic_ meant. When she finally remembered, her face grew red with anger at the fact that Hugh had just called her a mentally challenged Pokémon. "Sni!" she walked up to Mei and Hugh and squeezed herself in between them, forcing them to separate. But it was in more of a protective motherly way than a jealous fangirl who wants Hugh all to herself.

Snivy gave Hugh a smug look. "Sni!" Then she turned her tail to him.

"Awwwwww!" Mei cooed. "It looks like Snivy doesn't have romantic feelings for you anymore, not after you called her a psychotic Snivy." She suddenly realized something. "Hey! We can finally have a battle now, Hugh! Since Snivy doesn't like you anymore, she'll battle you and Tepig."

Snivy's face lit up. "Sni!" she challenged, looking at Hugh's Tepig.

Tepig pawed the ground and blew puffs of smoke from its nostrils. "Tep! Tepig!" it answered.

"Ugh… Okay then," Hugh said. He turned to Tepig. "I'm counting on you, Tepig! Let's show Snivy what you're made of!"

Snivy just stuck her nose in the air and crossed her arms. "Sni!"

"Tepig, use Ember!" Hugh began.

"Dodge it!" Mei shouted. "Then use Leer!"

Snivy jumped up into the air, avoiding Tepig's attack. Then she began to use Leer like Mei had told her. Tepig's defense dropped a little.

"Now use vine whip!" Mei called.

Hugh frowned. "Don't you know type advantages, Mei? Grass attacks won't do a lot to a fire type Pokémon."

Mei smiled. "Maybe, but Vine Whip can do a lot of different things, like imitate the ground type move Sand Attack!"

Snivy did not attack Tepig with her vines. Instead, she smacked her vines onto the ground, kicking sand and dust into the fire type's face. "W-what?" Hugh tried to find his Pokémon with all the dirt swirling around.

"You weren't expecting that, now were you?" Mei asked proudly. "I believe that strategy is what wins a battle, not power or numbers."

Hugh was impressed with Mei. He didn't think that his childhood friend would think like that even though they've known each other for practically eleven years.

Tepig cowered in the cloud of dust, unable to see anything.

"Now use Tackle!" Mei commanded Snivy.

"Sni!" Snivy rammed herself into Tepig, doing a good one-third amount of damage on the fire type's health thanks to Leer.

"Tepig, you okay?" Hugh asked his partner.

Tepig got up from the ground and was still well enough to fight. "Tep!"

"Snivy! Use Tackle again!" Mei told her Pokémon.

The grass type charged Tepig but Hugh was ready this time. "Dodge! Then use Ember!"

Tepig leapt out of Snivy's way and aimed an Ember attack quickly.

Snivy didn't have time to turn around and was hit in the back with the fire type move which cause a very large amount of damage. "Sniiiii!" Snivy yelped as she clutched her burnt tail.

_Uh-oh… Snivy has a burn! What will I do? _Mei thought. She didn't have any Burn Heals or Potions since she had used her only one before they came to the ranch. _No, don't panic… Think… I have to try and finish the battle quickly before the burn begins to do damage to Snivy. I also need to avoid letting Snivy take damage from Tepig. That's my top priority now… So I know that Hugh is going to keep using Ember because it's a fire attack. Ember is a range attack so…_

"Snivy! Use Vine Whip like before!" Mei ordered.

Snivy did as she was told.

"Not that again," Hugh said with annoyance. "Tepig, Ember!"

"Dodge it!" Mei shouted.

Snivy moved quicker this time and dodged every one of Tepig's attacks. Then she continued to whip up sand with her vines, imitating Sand Attack. Tepig was enveloped in a cloud of dust again and was too blind to do anything quickly.

"Tepig, get out of there!" Hugh shouted. "Use Ember!"

Tepig tried to see through the dust but was only blinded even more. "Pig!" it grunted in frustration. It still attempted to use Ember but the attack completely missed Snivy.

"Snivy, use Leer as much as you can!" Mei shouted.

Tepig's defense kept dropping as Snivy used Leer over and over again.

"Try Ember again!" Hugh shouted.

The second Ember missed too.

After about three Leers, Snivy winced in pain as the burn on her tail began to hurt. "Sni…"

"That's enough! Use Tackle!" Mei ordered.

Snivy fought through the pain in her tail and dove into the cloud of dust, determined to tackle her opponent hard.

Seconds later, Tepig stumbled out of the dust cloud and fainted at Hugh's feet. "Pig… Tep…"

Snivy smiled with satisfaction and jumped into Mei's arms for a hug.

"Woo-hoo! We beat them!" Mei cheered. "Snivy, you're the best! We're going to have so much fun on our journey! We're going to go places and win battles and not get lost because of your awesome Town Map-"

Mei suddenly remembered why she came to Flocessy Ranch in the first place. She picked up Snivy and approached Hugh who was kneeling beside his fainted Tepig. "Is your Tepig okay?" she asked with concern.

Hugh simply returned Tepig to its Pokeball and smiled at Mei. "He'll be fine after I take him to a Pokémon Center. But honestly, Mei, I never thought you'd be the one to beat me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mei playfully punched him in the arm, acting offended.

"Well, you've always been the soft type," Hugh said, beginning to feel giddy and nervous again. "I didn't think you would become such a hardcore trainer…"

"You'll know not to underestimate me next time, then!" Mei said, winking at him teasingly. "But I should tell you the real reason I'm here." She dug into her bag and pulled out the extra Town Map. "This is for you, from your little sister. You ran off so quickly, she didn't have a chance to give it to you. So here." She placed the map in Hugh's hands. "That way, you won't get lost."

"O-oh… um, thanks," Hugh said, taking the Town Map. He felt a bit disappointed that the only real reason Mei came to the ranch was just to give him a Town Map. He felt selfish hoping that Mei might have come here at her own free will to see him. Hugh pushed the thought to the back of his mind and tried to concentrate on reality.

"So… are there any good wild Pokémon in this ranch?" Mei asked him after an awkward silence.

"I saw Mareep and Azuril in the Tall Grass over there," Hugh answered, pointing to the small patch of grass beside them.

Mei liked Mareep and Azuril but she didn't want them on her battle team. "Are there any Riolu around here? That's a Pokémon I want to catch…"

"Yeah, but they're really rare," Hugh told her. "I think there's only a ten percent chance of encountering one here at Flocessy Ranch. I've been looking for a while but I haven't found one yet."

Mei was disappointed - after all, she really did want a Riolu… "Maybe I'll find one," she said hopefully and began to step toward the Tall Grass.

"Hey! What are you kids doing on our ranch?!" a new voice shouted at Hugh and Mei. "You get over here right now!"

The two young trainers looked around and saw two Pokémon breeders running toward them with angry expressions. They had a depressed looking Herdier with them.

"What are you two doing here?" the male Pokémon breeder asked Mei and Hugh angrily. "This is our ranch!"

"We're sorry," Mei tried to apologize. "We were just here to… uh…" She looked at the mess they made with their battle earlier. Dust covered everything in sight and some patches of grass were burned and singed from Tepig's Ember.

Mei smiled innocently. "Heh… We were just looking for wild Pokémon in the Tall Grass… we didn't mean to do any harm to your ranch."

The other breeder who was a girl studied them. "We don't want random Pokémon trainers in our ranch. Scat! Go away!"

"No! Please!" Mei shouted. "I have to catch a Riolu! Please! I'll do anything to catch a Riolu! Let me stay here, please!" She clung onto the breeders' sleeves, refusing to let go till Hugh pried her off.

"Well…" the male breeder said. "There is something you can do for us… See this Pokémon?" He pointed at his Herdier. "There's another one like it. But the other one went missing a few minutes ago and we're worried sick about it. If you'll help us find the other Herdier, I'll let you catch a Riolu here."

"What!?" Hugh shouted angrily.

The breeders jumped in surprise at his sudden outburst.

Hugh fumed. "Your Pokémon is missing and you were just sitting here doing nothing? What kind of breeders are you?! You need to take better care of your Pokémon! What if someone stole it?!"

"Hugh! Calm down!" Mei tried to soothe her friend. "We'll find the Herdier somehow and if it's stolen, you and I can get it back!"

Hugh nodded, trying to compose his feelings and not let his quick temper get the better of him. "You're right. Let's go look for the missing Pokémon!"

"Wait!" the female breeder cried. "Let me restore your partners to full health first. They must be exhausted after that battle you two had." The breeder quickly pulled out healing items, revives, and ethers and healed Tepig and Snivy.

Without a word of thanks, Hugh ran deeper into the ranch to look for the Herdier after his Tepig had recovered from fainting. Mei on the other hand thanked the breeders before going after her friend to help on the search for the missing Pokémon.

**A/N: Oh gosh… I never knew I could type so fast! This chapter wasn't as good as I had hoped but it's alright, I guess. And please review! Reviews give me the urge to keep going. Updates are also usually faster if I get reviews. Reviews really make my day, guys, so REVIEW! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for chapter four!**

**Also, there's a poll on my profile involving the creation of another OC for a different story that I might write so go vote on that please!**

**~ThePeacockFeather**


	4. Trouble at Floccesy Ranch

Chapter Three: Trouble at Flocessy Ranch

Mei and Hugh walked through the ranch together, keeping an eye out for the missing Herdier. The ranch was large and flat with Mareep wandering everywhere.

Mei shielded her eyes from the angry glare of the sun with her hands and followed Hugh as they made their way through a herd of Flaafy.

After searching for an hour, Mei fell to her knees and collapsed to the ground. "Dear Reshiram, where could that Herdier be? We've searched the entire ranch three times!" she groaned, glancing at Hugh who was equally exhausted. "Maybe someone really did steal it and got away already…"

Hugh flopped down beside Mei in frustration. "What do you suppose we should do? Go back to the breeders empty-handed?"

Mei sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. "I don't know. They were counting on us and even healed Tepig and Snivy. I feel so guilty… But what else can we do?"

"C'mon." Hugh got up and dusted himself off, before offering a hand to Mei. "At least we tried. There's nothing else we can do but offer our support. Now let's go."

Resigned, Mei let Hugh help her up. They began to head back to where the breeders were waiting. As they walked, Mei noticed a narrow dirt road leading north with bushes and ferns growing around it. The road was barely noticeable and very easy to miss. She stopped and stared at the road. "Hey, Hugh, come here for a minute," she called to her friend. When Hugh came back, Mei pointed at her discovery. "I don't think we've gone this way before. Do you think the Herdier's in there?"

"Only one way to find out." Hugh shoved some vines and leaves out of his way and took off down the dirt path.

"Hugh! Wait!" Mei shouted after him. She adjusted her visor and tried her best to keep with her reckless friend.

The road led to the small forest behind the ranch and came to a dead end. Mei panted as she caught up with Hugh. They both stood there and gazed into the woods, wondering if it would be safe to go in there.

There was a strange noise coming out of the forest, and it sounded like a Pokémon's cry.

"Did you hear that?" Mei asked. "It came from that way…" She turned to face the east and tried to listen for the sound again.

The sound came again, and this time Hugh heard it too. "That's a Herdier's cry. Let's move!" He took off, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Mei nearly tripped over her feet as she struggled to catch up with him. As they got closer to the source of the sound, the duo caught the sound of a human voice talking to the Herdier. They crept closer, using the cover of trees and bushes. When they finally got near enough to make out the words, Mei pressed herself against a tree and cautiously peeked out from behind it, eyes widening as she took in the scene.

There was a small clearing in the forest. A Herdier was cowering beside a man. The man wore all black with a hat that had a pirate crossbones sign on it, a gray mask that covered his nose and mouth, and bright orange hair that was probably dyed that color. A logo on his vest was a strange 'P' with a zigzag through it on an electric blue shield-shaped background.

Mei jerked back behind the tree as the man looked around suspiciously.

"I found the Herdier," Mei whispered to Hugh. "But there's a person with it."

Hugh poked his head out and saw the man dressed in black take out a phone. Hugh turned to Mei. "You go back and tell the breeders what we found and get them to come help. I doubt we can beat this guy in a Pokémon battle. I'll stay here to make sure he doesn't leave," he instructed.

Mei shook her head. "No, I'll stay here and you go get help. I'll keep an eye on the Herdier. Now go before it's too late!" she hissed before grabbing Hugh by his sleeve and steering him back in the direction they came from.

Hugh hesitated about leaving his friend alone in the forest, but he knew that Mei should be able to take care of herself, being the independent person she was. The male trainer turned and ran back to the ranch.

Mei watched Hugh go and couldn't help but feel a bit lonely without him. _He's always such a good friend… _Mei thought. _Although he can be pushy and a total jerk at times, he's always lending me a hand and protecting me. I need to show him that I can get along on my own._ Determined not to let the thief go, Mei observed the Herdier and the man in black.

The Herdier was whimpering and backing away from the man. "Aaargh…"

Mei wanted to save the poor Pokemon, but she knew that her Snivy wouldn't be strong enough to take on the thief in a battle. She strained to get a better look at the man who stole the Herdier.

_Snap._

Mei froze and realized that she had stepped on a twig. She winced at her carelessness. _Crap._

The Herdier's ears perked up at the sound and the man in black also looked in Mei's direction.

The female trainer did her best to stay hidden, but the man still noticed her trying to hide behind an Oran Berry bush. "Tch. You little pest!" he growled at Mei.

Mei stumbled at from behind the bush and tried to look brave. "Who are you and what are you doing to that poor Herdier?"

The man laughed a cruel laugh. "I'm a member of a group that strikes fear into the hearts of those who stand before it: Team Plasma!" He said that as if it were a big honor or something. "Ever heard of us?"

Mei cocked her head to one side, racking her brain for any recognition. "Team Plasma? Nope, doesn't ring any bells."

"Really?" The Plasma grunt was genuinely caught off guard. "We're the notorious group who attempted to conquer Unova two years ago in order to liberate the Pokémon!" He looked at Mei hopefully. "Anything?"

Mei thought some more. "Nope. Not at all. I still don't know who Team Plasma is. Sorry."

The grunt sighed in frustration and facepalmed. "Whatever…Fools will never understand us. Still…" He gave Mei a venomous look. "First I got lost chasing this cursed Herdier and now some nosy kid caught me! All of this is your fault!" He took something out of his pocket.

Mei tensed and her hands instinctively flew to Snivy's pokeball that in her bag.

"Take THIS!" The Plasma grunt flung a round object at Mei with all of his strength.

Mei shrieked and jumped back, thinking the object was a poison dart or something dangerous. The item landed at Mei's feet and she realized that it was a just a TM or Technical Machine. She picked up the CD like object and noticed that it was Frustration. She looked up at the Plasma grunt. "Really? You threw a tiny little TM at me?"

"Don't mock Team Plasma!" the grunt shouted in anger. "I'll take this opportunity to retreat for now!" He jabbed a finger in Mei's direction. "I suggest you be very afraid of what is to come…" Then, faster than Mei could blink, the Plasma member pushed past her and rushed deeper into the wood and out of sight.

"Hey! Wait!" Mei yelled after him. "Get back here!" But the grunt was already gone. Mei was about to pursue him, but the Herdier bit down on Mei's bag and pleaded for her not to go. The female trainer sighed and bent down to pet the normal type. "It's alright now. You're safe, Herdier."

There was some rustling in the distance and Hugh showed up with the breeders right behind him. "Herdier!" the male breeder cried.

Herdier gave a yip of joy and jumped into its master's arms. "I'm so glad you're alright, Herdier," the breeder said happily.

Hugh scowled, "You're awfully calm about this."

The breeder stopped and looked at the Quilfish haired trainer. "I'm just… so glad to know that Herdier is okay…"

Hugh rolled his eyes, "Whatever, just be more careful. You might not be so lucky next time." He then noticed Mei studying the TM that the Plasma grunt had given her. "What do you have there?"

Mei looked up from the TM, "The thief gave this to me before he left. It's a TM for Frustration. Do you know what kind of move Frustration is?"

Hugh narrowed his eyes at the TM. "That's a move that's more powerful the more the Pokémon hates its trainer. No Pokémon should ever have the misfortune of learning that move, Mei."

Mei nodded and began to follow Hugh and the breeder out of the forest. The passed a river on the way back. Mei took the opportunity to toss the TM into the water and watched it float downstream. She made a silent vow to never teach a Pokémon that horrible attack.

Once they got back to the ranch, the Herdier reunited with its friend, and the breeders told Mei that she could take as long as she needed to find a Riolu in the Tall Grass. Hugh decided to keep training before the first gym to assure his victory.

Mei was left alone at the ranch with only her Snivy as company. "Snivy, if you see a Riolu, call for me, okay?" Mei instructed her grass-type.

Snivy gave an obedient nod and skipped into the nearest patch of Tall Grass. Mei went the other way and turned on her Running Shoes to attract more Pokémon. As soon as Mei stepped into the Tall Grass, a Riolu lunged at her. The female trainer quickly stepped aside and managed to suppress her excitement

"Ah!" Mei clasped her hands together in wonder. "I can't believe I found you on my first try, Riolu! I'm so happy!"

The Riolu blinked and began to walk away, uninterested.

"Huh? Wait!" Mei stopped celebrating and ran after the fighting-type.

Riolu ran faster and was about to disappear, but Snivy came to the rescue. Long vines wrapped around the Riolu and prevented it from escaping. "Sni!" Snivy said as it squeezed the wild Pokemon. Riolu struggled but couldn't get free. Snivy squeezed its opponent even tighter, and Riolu's face turned a strange shade of purple.

"Good job, Snivy!" Mei dug around in her bag and produced a shiny new pokeball. "Go, pokeball!" she tossed the capsule at the struggling Riolu.

The pokeball hit the fighting-type on the forehead and opened. A red light came out of the capsule, touched Riolu and sucked it into the pokeball.

The red and white capture device dropped to the ground and began trembling violently. Mei clutched her hands as she stared at the Riolu struggling to break free, making the ball wobble from side to side. _Stop moving, _she prayed. _Don't break free..._

_Click_.

Mei let out a breath that she didn't even realize she was holding and picked up the pokeball. She peered inside and saw the newest member of her team. Riolu smiled at her from inside its capsule.

"It's nice to meet you, Riolu," Mei greeted. "We got off to a bad start so I'll introduce myself. I'm Mei. You're going to be part of our team. We're going to have so much fun!"

"Snivy!" Snivy added.

"And Snivy learned Wrap, too," Mei smiled at her starter. "I'm so proud of you! If only the Gym would open…"Mei gasped as realization dawned on her that she had forgotten someone. "Ah! Alder! We forgot about him!" She quickly returned Snivy back to her pokeball and stuffed them in her bag, before racing out to Route 20 and leaving Flocessy Ranch behind.


End file.
